A police officer has told of the moment a shoplifter spat in his face then claimed he had HIV. Sgt Blaine Molloy is undergoing blood tests to determine if his health has been affected following the disgusting attack last week.
It came after he arrested Raymond Skelly on suspicion of shoplifting from a Sainsburys supermarket. But as Skelly was being put in the back of a patrol car he became angry and began shouting and growling at Sgt Molloy before spitting in his face.
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On Monday Skelly, 44, of Greenbank, Hadfield in Glossop, pleaded guilty to assault of an emergency worker, theft from a shop and going equipped for theft. He was jailed for six months.
The incident took place at Sainsbury's on Cawdor Way in Matlock just after 5.05pm on Friday, January 27.
Speaking after the sentencing Sgt Molloy said: "Any and all assaults on duty are completely unacceptable, but sadly something police officers have to deal with on a daily basis across Derbyshire. As a result of Skelly, purposely and maliciously spitting in my face during his arrest, and his subsequent verbal threats relating to disease transmission I will have to undertake blood tests over the following months to determine whether my long-term health has been affected.
"This will obviously be a stressful time for myself and my family and will be a worry to me until I eventually get the all clear. This result re-enforces that, as a force we will not tolerate assaults on any of our members of staff and will seek to prosecute any offender who commits this type of crime.
"I welcome the robustness of Skelly's sentence and can only hope it goes some way to making others thinks twice before acting in the same manner."
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